Working with families with intrafamily violence in CREAS (Reference Centers Specialized in Social Assistance): Psychologists’ perspective

Abstract

This article aimed to comprehend how psychologists working in Centros de Referência Especializado de Atenção Social - CREAS (Brazilian Reference Centers Specialized in Social Assistance) perceive their practice in intrafamily violence situations. There were performed 12 interviews with psychologists that work in those centers, in 7 counties across the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Data were analyzed through the qualitative analysis proposed by Minayo (Minayo, 2012) and the results demonstrated that the work developed in CREAS presents several challenges, such as: the comprehension that the work has to deal with the understanding of the responsibilities distribution, especially between State and Family, varying between a familiar and protective perspective, having no unique way that generalizes something as complex as intrafamily violence. Nevertheless, strategies of confrontation were mentioned, such as permanent education and case discussions, both encourage dialogue and reflection, widening knowledge, which helps on decision making.